A father's love
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Had this idea very suddenly and had to write it down. It's short but I hope it does a good job. We all only ever pay attention Remus and the Marauders with his lycanthropy, but what his dad? A father love is strong bond, so I had the idea to write about it. Because there is nothing more scary and worse feeling than being helpless when someone you love is in pain.
Remus hated summer holiday for three reasons; three very distinct reasons that could be summed up with one word. Coincidentally that single word was the same word that defined his life. The moon.
He learned to live with his lycanthropy. However, it was easier at school, not just because he had a shack and now with the help of his friends the entire school grounds to roam around instead of the cage he grew up with; but because he didn't have to see his father's reaction.
But every summer, three times a summer he watches his father grow paler and paler on the days coming up to the full moon. The guilt heavily shown in his father's eyes was even more painful than the transformations, but the next morning was always the worse.
Remus knew that while on the night of the full moon he was in a cage in the basement, but he also knew that his father never left the room. He was grateful that he could never remember anything from the transformation; he would have killed himself if he knew for sure that his father cried every time he transformed. The next morning as his father carefully healed his son was always the worse part, the part that made Remus hate summer. Sorrow in his dad's eyes was worse than any transformation.
"I'm so sorry Remus." His father would say. It was always the same but never less sincere, there just wasn't much else to say, but Remus's reaction was always the same and always just as sincere.
"it's alright, Dad. I'm fine." However occasionally Remus would throw in a lie to ease his father's guilt, "this time wasn't so bad."
"I wish I could help you. I wish that it me. This isn't fair. I'm so sorry."
"You didn't do anything." Remus would say back, trying once again to make his father not feel guilty for something he couldn't help.
"I should have listened, I don't care what he wanted me to do, I should have done it. Anything is better than watching my son get punished because I tried to be brave."
Remus smiled a little, "I'm glad you stood up to him and said no. I'm proud of you."
But his dad wouldn't hear it, "it's not worth it. You shouldn't be punished because of me, you were only a child."
"It's ok. I'm going to school, getting a good education and going to do well for myself. Its only once a month; not that bad at all." Remus lies through a smile.
His father smiles a little too, knowing that his son is lying.
He watched him grow up. Held his hand as long as he could through the transformations when he was younger. Stayed and watched his son scream in pain from within cage, while he stood helpless to do anything for him. He was there all night watching his son in wolf form bite and claw at the cage trying to kill him, because he was so close the entire night. He also saw his son start to come back, scratched and beaten up in the morning. When he was younger he used to cry, and it was all he could do as father not to break down and cry for him as well. But as he got older, he watch as his son started to hide the real intensity of the pain from him. Recognized that his son, who was werewolf because of him, still tried to make him feel better each morning, saying that it's getting better, when in reality it's not.
"I'm so proud of you, son." He would tell Remus, "I am so deeply proud of you. I love you." He would then hold on to his son for while, because that what Remus was. He was his son, and nothing more. Not a monster, not sick, and not even a werewolf. He was just his son, a wonderfully brave man.
Please review.